The cold, hard reality

Were they harsh? Yes. Were they pointed? No question. Were they true? Without a doubt. A Nova Scotia MLA has been forced to apologize for the words he used in a social media post where he appears to blame rising health-care costs on “lifestyle choices.”

Hugh MacKay represents Chester-St. Margaret’s for the Nova Scotia Liberals.

In a Facebook posting this week, he said: “Smoking, over-consumption of alcohol, poor diet, and inactivity all greatly increase the risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.”

The MLA went on to say: “The treatment costs for these oft-preventable diseases is immense and is a source of great frustration for our health care professionals and for your government.”

MacKay then urged people to think about the “immense wasted costs in treating the results of our lifestyle choices.”

The comments prompted a fiery response. The Progressive Conservative health critic called it a “slap in the face to all Nova Scotians.”

And as is always the case these days, as soon as an elected official sees a hint of controversy, he apologized adding that health care is a complex, multifaceted issue.

We agree.

But the Nova Scotia MLA had nothing to apologize for. The cold, hard reality is we have to take responsibility for our own health.

If we smoke, if we drink too much, if we are overweight, we are at a much higher risk of a series of diseases including heart-disease, diabetes, and cancer.

That is a fact.

And it’s OK to talk about it.

What MacKay has started is an important conversation which we must have.

Health care professionals must get incredibly frustrated by some of the choices we make, choices which result in a lesser quality of life for us. That not only impacts us as individuals, but our loves ones, our employers, and our health-care system.

Nearly 17 per cent of all Canadians – that’s 5.2 million people – still smoke despite the dire warnings. Atlantic Canadians continue to have some of the highest smoking rates in the country. Nearly 21 per cent of Islanders still smoke.

About 19 per cent of Canadians – or roughly 5.8 million people – reported alcohol consumption that classified them as heavy drinkers in a 2016 Statistics Canada report. Atlantic Canadian rates are similar to the national average.

A 2015 study indicated nearly 27 per cent of all Canadians were obese. That’s up three percentage points from an earlier study. And once again, Atlantic Canadians have the second highest obesity rates in the country, behind only Saskatchewan.

MacKay could have chosen a more tactful way of expressing his frustrations. But he speaks the truth.

We, as Atlantic Canadians, have to look in the mirror. We smoke too much. We drink too much. We eat too much. And we don’t get enough exercise.

And it shows.

It’s time for us to change our ways – not necessarily because we’re worried about the rising costs of health care – but because we all have a loved one who does not need to be subjected to the torture of watching us die in a hospital bed from a disease which may have been preventable.

“What MacKay has started is an important conversation which we must have.”